IET

Sir Paul Nurse delighted his large audience with a passionate defence of science as a revolutionary force that can transform our lives, when he delivered this year’s Royal Television Society and Institution of Engineering and Technology Joint Public Lecture at the British Museum.

In a wide-ranging speech, the Nobel Prize-winning geneticist discussed the approach to science in the media, government and education. And – in advance of the EU referendum – gave strong backing from the scientific community for staying in Europe.

The Nobel Prize-winning geneticist, who was delivering this year’s Royal Television Society/Institution of Engineering and Technology public lecture, argued that the mass media, including television, has to be “highly responsible” in its reporting.

“The [media] needs to avoid sensationalism, to be careful about so-called balance when certain opinions have little evidential support or are potentially highly flawed, to avoid mystification and properly explain what can be difficult topics,” he said.